Adidas takes Australian brand White Fox to court over four-stripe design
German sportswear giant Adidas has filed a lawsuit in Australia's Federal Court against clothing label White Fox, claiming its four-stripe design is deceptively similar to the Adidas trademark. The first hearing is due on Friday.
Adidas has launched legal action against Australian fast-fashion retailer White Fox, accusing it of selling and advertising clothing with a four-stripe design. The German company argues the look is "deceptively similar" to its well-known logo.
Adidas says it has repeatedly asked Sydney-based White Fox to stop selling and promoting the items since March, but the company declined. The law firms acting for both sides have not commented on the case. The first hearing is scheduled for Friday.
What Adidas is claiming
In documents lodged with the Federal Court, Adidas says its three-stripe design carries a "substantial and valuable reputation" in Australia, where it has been a registered trademark since 1957. It alleges that since at least March, White Fox has sold and advertised clothes with four parallel stripes of equal width, which it says infringes its trademark.
Adidas also says White Fox's adverts for its four-stripe clothing and White Fox-branded socks show people wearing genuine Adidas products. According to the filing, this could lead Australians to believe Adidas is linked to White Fox and has endorsed the design. Adidas contends that White Fox is "taking advantage" of its reputation, or is at least "sailing close to the wind".
The company, which reported revenue of €24.8 billion in 2025, is also seeking damages. It wants White Fox to hand over the profits from the products, plus interest and costs.
Evidence submitted
The evidence includes side-by-side comparisons of Adidas products and White Fox items such as sweatpants and lounge shorts, along with photos of advertisements on buses and at bus stops. In one example, a June 2025 online listing showed White Fox socks modelled by a person wearing pink Adidas shoes. The documents allege that a few days after the proceedings were lodged last month, one stripe was digitally removed from the logo on the shoes, and a week later all three stripes were erased from the image.
Background
In 2013, Adidas won a case in Australia against Pacific Brands over shoes with four stripes.
White Fox was founded in 2013 by Georgia and Daniel Contos and is privately owned by the couple and Daniel's mother, Melina Maceri. It is expanding in the US and entered the UK market in 2024. According to the Australian Financial Review, its revenue in the 12 months to June 2025 reached AU$542m, four times the AU$121m recorded in 2022.
